1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for removing printing-unit cylinders from rotary printing presses having side walls formed with openings through which a bearing location of a printing-unit cylinder is accessible.
Heretofore known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,979 is a device in which, on a rotary printing press operating in accordance with the so-called satellite principle, the inking units are accommodated in separately displaceable side walls. Two stock-conducting printing-unit cylinders and a plurality of cylinders, respectively, cooperating with the outer cylindrical surfaces of each of the printing-unit cylinders are supported fixed in position. Access to the cylinders is made possible by moving the side walls, which are supported on ball or roller bearings and which contain the inking units, away from the components which are held fixed in position, so that the pressman is able to enter into the free space which has thereby become available.
Once the space has been made accessible, a safety arrangement prevents any possible movement of the side walls accommodating the inking units, as long as operators are in the space.
In order to permit access to the cylinders, which are held fixed in position, for the performance of servicing operations or the like, it is necessary for large structural components to be moved out of precisely defined setting positions, such as, for example, relating to the positions of the inking rollers with respect to the ink-conducting printing-unit cylinders. After the performance of the servicing operations, the side walls with the inking units accommodated therein are returned to the original positions thereof. In all probability, there will then be a need for additional adjustment operations until the original state or conditions have been re-established.
In rotary printing presses which are equipped with a laser exposure or illuminating unit, exposure of the printing form is performed directly in the printing press, the laser exposure unit having been previously aligned very accurately in the rotary printing press. If it is intended that printing-unit cylinders are to be exchanged, assurance must be provided that the laser exposure unit be left in the position thereof in order to gain access to the components which are to be exchanged. Any readjustment of the laser exposure unit required after performance of servicing operations is not economically justifiable on account of excessively long downtime of the printing press, particularly not when it is frequently necessary to exchange complete printing-form cylinders.